1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to devices and systems for controlling the population of rodents in buildings and more specifically relates to an improved rodent control device and system that first captures a rodent, then stimulates the rodent to make its characteristic danger call for a period of time, then electrocutes the rodent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A step in the novel system is to capture the rodent in a box trap. A wide variety of box traps are known in the art, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,161,789 to Wingfield. U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,456 to Tidwell represents a box trap with electrocution.
Earlier electrocution traps as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,547; 3,468,054; 3,197,916; and 2,440,214; in some cases have electrocution areas which are open, and therefore unsafe, lack effective means to prevent retreat, or may permit the accumulation of odors or filth. The prior art also discloses a number of devices which generate acoustic signals which are alarming or offensive to drive out various pests. U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,386 to Morris discloses a system which generates offensive ultrasonic signals when suitable sensing means detect the presence of the target animals. However effective such means may be, they may not be appreciated by neighbors. Moreover, rats, in particular, may learn to overcome their fear of the sound. In contrast U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,992 uses the recorded sounds of young rodents to attract mature lactating female rodents for capture or destruction. Similar apparatus might use the recorded distress calls of rats to scare others away. Rats can distinguish between the voices of other rats, so that such recordings need to be changed frequently. The present invention provides the means for making and broadcasting fresh distress calls. None of the prior art provides for the use of the actual voices of rats to drive out their kin, and at the same time provides for the selective killing of those families not previously driven out.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to capture a rat, to repel other rats by the distress calls of the captured rat, and then to electrocute the captured rat.